Finding a goal
by mangalicious
Summary: Screw the sum. It s kind of action, love, drama I guesse. The carachters might be slightly OOC. Read and coment, please.
1. Chapter 1

´thinking´

"speach"

_inner-sakura_

Chapter one: All alone in Konaho

Is Team seven a team doomed to forever be apart? Does Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi for all eternity fight a hopeless battle to search and miss the comrade that they lost to the darkness? Will Narutos hands reach the goals he dreams about or will he lose to the power within him? Is there a chans for Kakashi to form new bonds and to forgive himself for Obitos death and speaking of bond´s does Sai stand a chans of gaining knowledge of how you become friends? What about Sakura, will she continue to be the weak link of team seven?

Much had happened in the years that Sasuke had been absent from his old home, the Leaf village. Words of Orochimaru and his experiments reached the village early as did the rumours of his craving for the younger Uchihas body and his plan to one day take it over, making Sasukes body a walking doll. But almost nothing where heard of about the Uchiha himself. Three years after Sasukes deflection new rumours reached the leaf village, Orochimaru had been slain by the Uchihas hand and the boy had toured the snake sannins different prisons to free his experiments and destroy the hide-outs. After Narutos return it was decided that Team Kakashi would be formed, not knowingly to the newformed team, Tsunade decided to try to keep a close tabs as possible at Sasuke. She made a deal with one of her enemies; Danzou, he and Root would assist her in tracking and spying on him since they seemed to share the same goal, getting to Sasuske. Tsuande had known from the start that it was going to be difficult; Sasuke was a genius after all and taught by a sannin he was an avenger with a goal. But she had to hand it to Danzous minions, they where persistent and so she had gain somewhat information about Team Hebi and their movements during the years that had past. She knew the information would come in handy some day, she just feared the price for barging with Danzou would be too high.

Before Sasuke had killed Orochimaru Team Kakashi had tracked his lair down and actually meet with Sasuke for the first time in three years, it was one of the new founded teams first mission, with Sai and Yamamoto as new members. They failed to bring the boy back and at their return to the village seemed pathetic to the team, a felling of failure spread in the team. Tsunade deduced that that was the least of their problems, Akatsuki was on the move and Narutos situation with that was rigid, the elders of the village had also started to comment on the fact that letting him go on missions could be dangerous. The solution Tsunade arranged was to have the Kyubiholder, Kakahshi and Yamamoto to hide away in the mountains. The plan was to have the boy train with the two Jounins and to do simpler missions outside the village, undercover and in the same time try to make Naruto take charge of the Kyubi. When rumours reached them about Narutos second sensei and god fathers death while he investigated Akatsuki, they had a great setback in their training and something that was supposed to take only a year where doomed to be prolonged. Kakahsi reported twice a month to Tsunade letting her know about their slowly progresses. The three men become good friends and formed strong bonds but their characteristic dosn´t seem to change with time. According to Yamamot Naruto was still a ditz and Kakshi was stil aloof. The hard training they were making the blond boy go throu where to be sure that the day Akatsuki would find him he would be ready, a demon and a future hero wrapped in one, with a dream to achieve.

In Konaho Tsunade still ran the show as Hokage with help from Shizune and Ton Ton. Her apprentices and her new favourite strategic, Shikamaru has also become two of her most trusted servants. She would often smile behind her stacks of papers and books, staging little "competitions" between Sakura and Shikamaru or as she her self said, one need to be kept from slaking of and the other needs to be kept idle. But threw the years she had acknowledge not only the Akatsuki as one of their great enemies, she feared that within the city there where factors that she needed to keep close tabs on and with the brains of Shikamaru she hoped to be prepared for the days to come.

The ramenstand with the old man in charge is still the best place to eat with the smiling Ayame to serve you steaming ramen, it has become the meeting spot for the rests of the Rookie nine and Gais team, it is there they meet and catch up. It´s also, how unlikely it may sound, the place where Sakura and Hinata formed a deep and good friendship. If Naruto had know what stated it, a discussion about which Ramen was his favourite, he would probably have grinned big, after that day the two girls would meet up to eat together and remember the loud-mouth.

Sakura is still Tsunades star pupil even if she got competition from Shikamaru in the "brains-department", she was able to keep developing as a medic, but in the last couple of months the Hokage has been busier than usual due to the rumours of increased ron-nins and Akatsuikis suspectet movements. That has left Sakuras training up to Sakura her self without any sensei to guide her. With her team gone and the other teams often filled already she only does missions occasionally as a fill in. Her friendship with Ino-pig is still loud and filled with rivalry and competition but neither of them would like to be without the verbal assaults, fights and iron will that the both of them bring to the table. But now adays the citizen of Konaho often sees her strolling down the streets with a somewhat lost expression on her face. If they only new, how lost she really is…

`What am I supposed to do now? A shinobi without a team is a shinboi in lack of it´s leams...´

It was a lovely day, the birds where chirping and some with fluffy clouds lazily passed over the sky gracing the ground with soft shadows. Sakura stared outside her window, the world outside seemed full of life, the opposite of the house she lived in. It didn´t take her long to come to the decision that days like to these where few.

`Good weather, no training, no mission, no one to distract me´.

She decided to take a walk; she grabbed her ninja gear `just if I would like to do some light exercise. But I think I will settle for a stroll´ Walking aimless in the village she looked at the shops and the people.

`No Ino-pig, team ten is out on a mission that also means no Shik to give me a shogi match.´ She passed the training ground for taijutsu, no green beast in sight and Hinata had off lately been very busy in her training with Hitachi and her cousin. Sakura let her thoughts drift over Neji.

`He has changed so much since he got to know Naruto. He has really come to se the world in other colours…´ she let her thoughts travel to the rest of Hinatas team.

`I guess that leaves Kiba and Shino to associate with.´ Inwardly groined and pulled a face as if she had bitten in to a sour lemon.

`_Are we really that desperate that we are considering hanging out whit Dog-breath and Bug-boy?´_

Desperate? They are nice you now and very good friends with Naruto´.

`_Yeah, but bug-boy creeps us out. And dog-boy and Naruto is so similar in that perverted way. We don´t want to hear sex-jokes to day, thank you very much.´_

`You know they have names….´ Sakura was totally lost in her conversation with her inner-self and didn't pay attention to her surroundings. If she had she would have avoided the artist-nin she bumped straight in to. And had he been any other else he would have stepped out of her way to avoid the crash that their collision meant. Crash and crash? It was Sakura that walked straight in to his chest.

"Uggh?" she starred right in to dark cloth. She toke a step back and looked at the black wall that stood in her path, was it supposed to be there?

"Hello ugly" Sai said with his ever emotionless voice, he had starlet her out of her conversation with her inner.

"Moron." Sakura greeted while she kept her head down and her feet's in a steady pace. Not stooping or looking at the boy. If she had she would have noticed that he where in his ninja attire, something he only wore on missions or if he was going to train.

"So why are you out scaring children with your hideous appearance?" apparently Sai had decided to join her aimless stroll and walked beside her with one of his fake smiles.

"ugghh.. Hmm" Sakura still kept her head down and her arms crossed in front of her. She was still lost in her thoughts of how to spend the rest of her day, heck how to spend the rest of her time until team Kakashi once again was reassembled.

"I don't talk ugly-language" He looked annoyed at her.

"It's not nice to treat your friends like air, or so I have read." He continued, smug smile because he knew he was right.

"I've got nothing to do. Tsunade doesn't train me so much any more, and there are no missions to do..." she finally looked up and turned her head towards him.

"…" The both of them kept walking through the village under silence and ended up at "their" bridge. Sakura looked around at the bridge and frowned. She felt like she didn't have a purpose any more. Her, Naruto and Sasukes name carvings seemed to mock her, another time she thought... _"Another time... When we where all together and where I still held a purpose. Where there were things I had to do…The good old days, It seams like another world."_ She wore a frown on her face.

"How about training with me today. I could use some one to bet the crap out. And you couldn't look worse than you do?" sad Sai without showing any emotions on his pretty face just his stiff and never leaving smile.

Sakura stared at him; she even glared, but started walking to their usual training ground, prepared to ground him to the floor.

Ground three looked liked it always had, green luminous grass, forest, and a open field. `Some things just never change no matter how much time that passes´ she looked around, letting the memories flood her for a moment. With out a word they soon fell into fighting stance opposite each other.

"I need to train my taijutsu, and since you suck at taijutsu, I'm guessing this wont take so long." Sai mocked her and smirked at her, Sakura just glared back at him. This was just the way to let a perfect day go down the toilet.

"_Who does this piece of shit think he is?" Inner Sakura yelled, she got very upset at the dark haired boy. "But he is right. My taijutsu is not so good you know inner." "Like that matters, we will kick his scrawny little as back to root." inner Sakura huffed and pumped a fist in to the air._

Sakura smirked evilly… and tucked her pink hair behind her ears, she pulled out her black gloves, stretched her muscles and eyed her enemy taking her favourite stances once again.

"So how about a bet… If you lose you haft to pay for my lunch at the ramenstand." Sai said with another of his fake smiles while staring right at her.

"Bring it on you shit." Sakura hissed evilly while pulling out glows, black ones that reached higher up on her arms almost connecting with her pink elbow guards. Tsunade had murmured something about the importances of keeping her skin from marring.

Sai didn´t take his eyes of from her during her preparations.

"Ready bitch?" His eyes glowing like a cat on a hunt for prey.

"For ass holes like yourself? Always." Angry ton in her voice.

The leapt at each other. Sai lifted his nee but Sakura deflected the attack with one of her own knees. He pulled one hand back, ready to strike but she deflected that to. The both of them fought for a good while, because of Sakuras defensive training with Tsunade she was very good at avoiding Sais attacks but at the same time, her offensives wheren´t the best. In the late afternoon Sakura lay on the ground panting hard with bruises all over her teenage body.

"And I didn't even get serious." Sai smirked. "Common loser let's go eat, I'm hungry." He loosely kickt at her feet's and started walking back in to the town. Sakura studied him, he was was almost unharmed. She shut her eyes close, exhaled and tried to lose some of the frustration she felt. She rose and soon she had cached up to him, she was still pissed at him for betting her but she concluded that it was her own fault for being so bad at offensive taijustu… Like the med-nin she was she had always focused on healing her team and dodging attacks. They sat down at the ramenstand and ordered, eating under silence.

´Is this what it has come to? I´m willingly eating with Sai, alone?´


	2. Why can t I keep drifting

Chapter two: Why can´t I keep drifting?

It was another of those "perfect days" according to Sakura, no one to socialize with, no schedule to follow besides her shift at the hospital later in the evening. So she retorted to her new favourite hobby, walking in around in the village counting pebbles on the ground. Who knew, perhaps she would bump in to Konohamaru and his team and talk to them for a while about Naruto and the pranks he used to pull? It was safe to say that she was not aware of the dark haired boy, waiting for her outside her grey house. She had barley step out before he raised his voice.

"Ugly common let's go train." Sai had step in front of Sakura, hands in his pockets in his usual droner look on his face, she looked up at him, he was a half head taller then her.

"Sai…" And with that she punched him in the face .She let her breath out… and started walking again. "I don't want to." She sulked like a baby, was he going to ruin yet another day?

"You haft to." With that Sai started walking to the training ground they had used only a week before. Sakura noticed that he was in his regular ninja gear with his pencil and papers in pocket.

"What do you mean with that you piece of crap?" Sakura yelled at his leaving back, first he didn´t answere but then he seemed to change his mind. He turned his head towards her, a sneaky smile had crept over his face.

"Well. I am your new sensei so i guess I'm in titled to tell you what to do." And with that he kept walking, the light breeze ruffling the leaves in the trees.

_`That ass hole, who does he think he is, our new sensie? As if! Inner Sakura was throwing a tantrum... `I think not!´_

"If you don't believe my, you can always ask Tsunade-sama, but if you leave training now, you will be punished…" His voice leaving no doubt about how serious he was, he kept walking and soon he was out of her sight.

Sakura immediately turned on her heel and ran the whole way to the hokage-tower, sprinting the stairs to her Shisous office. Without any hesitation she stormed in to Tsunades office where her shisou where pouring her self some sake, with Ton Ton poking around at the floor, squealing starlet when the pinkett busted the door open.

"Is it true that deep-shit is my new sensei!" She squealed between her huffing she topped it off by glaring angrily at Tsunade. Sakura was still at sixteen a hot-headed girl that from time to time let her emotions run wild with her.

"Yes, actually he volunteered for the job, it was even his own suggestion. And I must agree with him, you have been drifting around town a little too much lately. You got your duties at the hospital but that's not enough since you are only needed for more complicated procedures. You got no team and you do no training. Sai will be good for you. Besides, did you think that I would let you in on information about the Uchiha for free?" Tsunade said in her stern voice without looking up from the papers in front of her. The air in the room changed from serene to icy and tense. Tsunade choose to ignore her pupils stare and kept scribbling; waiting for the argumentation she knew would come. She mentally slapped herself for raising a mini-version of her self.

"But why that bastard? I don't want him get me someone else. He get´s on my nerves and he does it on purpose." Sakura placed her hands on her hips adding flaring nose drills.

"It's not open for discussion. He is your sensei and that's final. Besides I'm counting on you to help him with his emotional training, he is still lacking profoundly in that department. Ooh and I expect you to help Shikamaru in the weeks to come to." She looked up with her fierce golden eyes at her student and downed her sake and then poured another one.

"But he is a jackass." Sakuras forehead vein started to pop.

"I don´t want to repeat myself". The Hokage had the voice that clearly stated that the discussion was over and that you had just lost. She turned to her papers again, mumbling to her self. So Sakura found her self at the green grassed training ground in front of the boy that now was her new Sensei. She was fuming.

He glansed at her under his bangs, she had gowned in the years he had known her but at since Naruto had left the second time she just seemed out of lust for life. He exhale, ´ For some one as smart as her, she is really stupid´, he cleared his throat, "Dog-face, I'm only going to say this once, I'm a very strict sensei, I will not allow you to talk back, to try to ditch training, to be sloppy or lazy, if you are then I'm going to punish you without hesitation. Now your punishment for doubting me and for going against what I said will be to run two laps around Konaho after the training." He smiled a true smile; yes this was probably going to be the time of a life for Sai.

The day had drifted on while Sai had been evaluating her and her skills,

"Sakura, you need to be able to do taijutsu without using chakra since you need to conserve it so you can heal your team-mates." Sai told her while trying to punch her in her gut with all his might.

"I know Sai…" She was panting and sweating, growling out her answer Sai was as he had stated himself a very strict mentor, forcing her to go thrue the same movements over and over again during their training sessions. The sweat gleamed on her sizzled body.

"Don´t think you can break my, _sensie_" she stated mockingly. He continued his monologue unfaced by her attitude, she was going to pay for it later.

"We are going to focus on taijutsu without chackra in the mornings." He continued his pale face still lacking the sweaty shine that Sakura sported.

"Okay, okay". She was barley able to answer, that is what two hours of intense training will do to you if you aren't in top shape like one ex-anbu.

"By the way dog-face, have you ever done the paper-test?" aiming a punch at her face.

"No?" she blocked the first punch, ducked her head down for the second punch she was expecting, staggering a bit but regaining her senses.

"You need a break." He stood up, while she bent over placing her hands on her knees and breathing hard. She puked, she could identify the breakfast she had that morning, rice, boiled vegetables and some fish. He reached down in one of his pockets and plucked up a tiny pice of paper while he stepped towards her and handed her the paper. The moment she took it in her hand it started dripping wet. She remembered what she had read about the paper-test during her academy years, how it would show witch element you leaned towards.

"Ooh. Guess that means I´m water elemental…." She said without enthusiasm ´of course the exact opposite of Sasuke-kun´ _`Screw this. I don´t want to be water elemental. I want to be fire, fire! God dammit, make that paper buuuurn!´_. `Guess this is just my luck´ _` No! It´s all that bastards fault, he did it wrong I´m sure!´ _

"Yes. Very good, it´s a strong element, the down side is of course that you need access to water. We will be training your ninjutsu in the evenings when you don´t have shifts at the hospital." Sai locked up at the clear sky. ´water elemental, just like me. That´s good that will make the training easier for the both of us´. He was actually kind of glad that she had the same elemental as him and not as the traitor-bastard.

"For-head, you will need to take this training seriously you know" That nickname he borrowed from Gorgouse-san should be enough punishment for her mockingly tone earlier he thought. As if Sakura needed to be reminded about what it was that was on the stakes.

_Flashback_

_Tsuande smashed her hand in her desk, demanding attention,"Suck it up Sakura, you are a ninja and not a little kid any more. Now, I do believe you got some training to do? And besides, since you are living alone, you need to provide for yourself and I do believe the Chunin salary isn't that good. You are going to lose the house if you can´t provide for the bills. The only possibility is to earn more money and as a Jounin you can do just that. And if that's not enough as motivation, you know that Naruto is going to be Jounin level when he comes back. You will be left behind and the rest of team Kakashi will be jounin, I can´t let you stay with their team, you would be holding them back" That was the answer The pink haired had got when she had started to argument again. Sakura knew that the words that the fifth Hokage told her where all to true, she just wished that things where different._

_End of flashback_

´Ooh he maybe cocky now, but just he wait, his owns training wont be a walk in the park... I will make him growl before me.´ _´Yes let him crawl in the dust before us...Let him beg for mercy.´_

Sai had since he joined team Kakashi become better with people, even if he still didn´t understand all the social settings and he still did silly mistakes. He had also learnt some heartbreaking things. The day Naruto left with the two men he had actually felt loss, when he looked at Sakura and Hinata he felt pained since they also missed him and there was nothing he could do or say to comfort them, besides being silly and drive Sakura mad. So that was what he had decided to do, he couldn't comfort her, just distract her a moments with that horrible anger of hers. And slowly he had begun to understand that her anger was a way for her to protect her self, and for keeping her from crying and long after the persons that had left her. Sai wasn´t stupid he just lacked in knowledge of the human heart and emotion, but with time he had come to understand more, he had started to understand more.

He straightened himself out. "ugly. I don´t care what I will have to do but my mission is to sort you out so be prepared. I will met you her again tomorrow at dawn."

She exhale and sat down under one of the luscious trees.

´Is it really worth all this trouble? Ooh Naruto? When are you coming back to us? Life as a Shinobi is so painful....´


	3. Chapter 3

**A Kodachi - Part one**

Tsunade grunted, the man in front of her was an old acquaintance that had sought her up in the evening. He had business with Konaho that the shinobi village couldn't be without so she needed to handle him gently to keep his trust and interest.

"Okay, Samraza. I understand that your family's safety is important to you and we will help you, I just hope that you will keep your business up and exclusively to us?" Her voice stern and demanding.

"What do you think abort me Hokage-same? I'm loyal to the fire country". His voice silky.

"Yes yes. The fire country, but I'm talking abort Konaho and it's Hokage". voice, icy tone.

"Aaah. Yes yes. As far as I'm concerned there is only one leader in Konaho". He reassured.

"That's good. Now let's see what we can do about guides for you and your family". She sounded pleased.

"Guides?! Protection, I said protection!" His time to sound demanding and offended.

"Aaaaah. Yes yes, of course. I know of two shinobi that would be perfect for this kind of mission. We got a deal?" The man nodded and the two emptied their cups of sake as sign of confirmation.

Her morning had been just like every other morning. She and her mistress routines didn't change no matter where they where, on the run or if they had shelter somewhere. The suns´ first rays hit her nose, Yeah, it was time… She made the first noises for the day.

"I'm coming. My, good girl…you haven't left a drop. Sit her I'll get you, your breakfast".

I saw Shizune move away towards the kitchen section, making the pair of us breakfast. We have a great partnership I thought to myself while I studied her, we been through a lot during our years together, we've experienced a lot of hardships, shared many good memories and now we have been in Konaho for quit some time. She still hasn't left my side, she still takes care of my and she is my best friend, she just don't know it herself. She enters the room again and places my food in front of my, I give her an oink as thanks.

"Thank you Ton Ton… after you've eaten it's time to walk to Tsunade-samas office we got a busy day in front of us".

The two selected shinobis stood in front of Tsunade-sama and Shizune in the dusky and dusty old room, getting mission assignments. Tsunade was as always wearing her gambler robs and two pigtails and a glass of sake in front of her, disguised as tee.

"I've been thinking about this for a while now, and I've decided that you two will start doing missions together from now on as a two man team since I can't train you properly and I need to focus on Shikamaru and his training as a strategist. Sai, you will be team leader." Shizune and Ton Ton looked shocked, this was the biggest surprise of the day until Sakuras stoic face and lack of angry outburst surprised her even more. Tsunade-sama seamed to be waiting for it to, but as the room stayed silent, she continued her debriefing.

"Your mission is to bring a man named Samraza and his family safely to their home one days travel outside the village. He is a wealthy business man so he is paying us good money for efficiency and discretion, it's to be considered as C-rank in skill but b-rank in pay. So it shouldn't be any problem for the two of you. They will be waiting by the main gate in a hour." She handed them the mission scroll and dismissed. them. The two youngsters turned and left the room, stepping out into the cold morning air. Sakura was quite frustrate about the fact that she had to spend even more time with Sai but she wasn't going to let the ass get to her. The sand beneath her feet crunched as she moved briskly towards her home to pack her gear and get ready to move out as fast as possible.

"Tsunade-sama, was it wise to send those two out alone?" Shizune looked at her master with a questioning look in her eyes. It was common knowledge that Sakura and Sai had a hard time getting along.

"hmm. What do I care? Sakura needs to control her temper, besides, you don't get to choose who you work with." Shizune looked at her again, she knew how important it was for a shinobi to not let emotions in the mission, but Sakura was like her little sister, and to be honest, Sai was kind of frightening, with his lack of emotions and to top it of he was a former root-member. She didn't say anything more, she knew how important the contacts with Danzou was to get information about Sasuke. These last months news had reached Danzou, Sasuke seemed to be destroying Orrochimarus prisons, he seemed to be searching for something according to the old man's sources. She looked out the window, made a silent prayer that Sakuras voyage would go without mishap and that when she came back they could go to the hot-springs together. She quickly prayed that Sasuke wouldn't cause any problems, she was ashamed that she did it, but it was for Sakuras sake.

They stood in front of the Samraza family, three kids, one wife, two dogs and a husband, the crisp morning air and a rising sun.. The kids Sakura concluded where well-behaved so far, this was going to be an easy mission if they kept on being in a good mood. The eldest girl seemed to be around thirteen and interested in Sais paintings, fascinated by the strokes and the lines he created. The two younger seemed to be around five to eight and as all kids engrossed in their games. All three of them had the same hair colour as their father, dark brown. After a while Sakura decided that the kids where mini copies of the father, not only did they have the same dark, brown, chocolate coloured hair, they also shared the grass green coloured eyes and the skin colour, which our heroin would describe as light hew of brown. The mother was a astonishing beauty. Long black hair that flowed in the wind, tall and slender and a pair of black eyes that carried warmth. The two dogs seemed to be mutts, a mixture of a little bit of everything but some how this family was just right together and Sakura smiled to her self, `this must be what family bliss is? Hue?´. The kids ran around pulling the tails of the two large dogs, screaming Yin and Yang, which obviously where the animals names and to top it of, two of Konahos shinobi to protect the whole circus. They headed through the read gate and left the village that where waking to life behind them.

The morning and the lunch had passed without any mishaps, they had all moved noiselessly trough the woods. The kids behaved and the dogs strolled leisurely beside the family. Sakura scouted a head, nothing; this mission was just as simple as the Hokage had informed them of. After lunch they kept on walking. The father carried the youngest on his back.

Sai signalled to his underling, "Sakura, scout a head about five minuets".

"Okay" she ran through the woods, she inspected the path and looked into the Forest. She saw nothing, but something was of. And then she heard it, or rather, it was just that, she didn't hear. The lack of sounds… No birds chirping and no little animals making sounds, she got the felling that the animals were anxiously waiting for something. She kept moving as if she hadn't noticed, to trick how ever it was that was spying to think that she hadn't noticed. Sakura couldn't see them with her green eyes so she tried sensing them, there where no mistaking it, there was a killing aura in the air. She couldn't distinguish them, she was unsure about their exact number, but maybe four? She turned around and made her way back to Sai to inform him of their oncoming encounter.

Five minuets later the group from Konaho steeped in to the trap that had been set up for them. The children began to scream loudly, panicking in the smoke bombs that exploded around them. Sai quickly painted three ink-lions to destroy the trap and create a barrier towards who ever it was that attacked them. The two ninjas stood in front of the family and soon the smoke started evaporating, Opposite of them where a gang of four ruff ron-nins staring blankly at the family.

Sakuras eyes was immediately drawn to the shine sword in the mans hand.


End file.
